Car-truck.



(mi Model.)

D. W. POWELL.

CAR TRUCK.

(Application filed Feb. 9, 1901.]

Pa tented Dec. l0, I90l.

a sums-sheet I.

IIIIIIIIII mull-III- m: "our: mns co. Pnotau'ma. wnsnmcwu. 11cv No. 688,686. Patented Dec. l0,.l90l. C. W. POWELL.

CAB TRUCK.

(Application filed Feb. 9, 1901;)

(No Model.)

3 Sheets.-Sheet 2.

A Elia E3 "ma NORMS PETERS c'o. mumumm WASHINGTON u, c.

Paten'h ed Dec. 10; IQDI.

C. W. POWELL.

CAR T B U C K.

(Application filedvFeb. 9, 1901.)

a Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

Mf/rcssesa THE NORIUS PETERS co, mom-mum swma'ruu. u c.

UNITED STATES PATENT UEETCE.

CHARLES W. POWELL, OF GREEN ISLAND, NEW YORK.

CAR-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,686, dated December 10, 1901. Application filed February 9, 1901. Serial No. 46,654. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Green Island, county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to such improvements; and it consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanyingdrawings, and the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan View of my improved oar truck, shown partly broken away and partly in section for con venience of illustration. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a view, on an enlarged scale, in side elevation of an end portion of the truck-frame, illustrating the manner in whichthe bearing-box for the wheel-axle is released from its slideway or housing. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the bifurcate jaw-bit member of the housing for the axle-box, with the contiguous portion of the main frame of the truck shown in section bolted thereto. Fig. 5 is a top plan view illustrating the arrangement of the brakes and brake-operating levers and connections, the

, truck-frame being omitted. Fig. 6 is a vertwo frames of tioal cross-section taken on the line 6 6 in Fig. 2 viewed in the direction of the arrow. Figs. 7 and 8 are views in side elevation of the truss members of the truck-frame.

My invention relates particularly to trucks adapted for use with electric cars.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a rigid and durable wheel-supported truck-frame with means for advantageously distributing the weight applied thereto, and, further, to provide an efficient yielding support for the car-body. I

My improved truck preferably comprises general rectangular form, the

lower of which is adapted to be mounted upon and supported by the car-axles. The upper frame is longer than the lower frame, which may be part of the car-body and adapted to project at opposite ends beyond the lower frame, as shown in Fig. 2, and form a support for the car-body. (Not shown.) 1 represents said upper car-body-supporting frame, and 2 2 are transversely-arranged leaf -springs mounted upon the under side thereof at opposite ends and connected with similar leafsprings 3 3, mounted upon the lower truckframe and projecting beyond the ends there of,whereby the lower truck-frame is connected by such springs with the projecting portions of the upper truck-frame, thus securing widely-separated points of spring-Sn pport forv the car-body-supporting frame. The inner ends of said leaf-springs 3 may be connected with intermediate portions of the upper frame, as at 4.

The lower truck-frame comprises a pair of trussed side frames connected by cross-bars 5 at the middle and ends, respectively.

Each side frame is preferably made of a duplicate set of parallel truss members or plates, preferably bolted or riveted together to form a rigid construction. The preferred form of said plates is shown in Figs. 7 and 8, one of said plates 6 (shown in Fig. 7) having horizontal ends 7 and a depressed middle portion 8 connected with the ends by the upwardly and outwardly inclined portions 9. The other truss member 10 comprises a horizontal member 11, with upturned ends 12. The plate 10 isapplied to the outer side of and the two are boltedor riveted together at their middle portions at 13, and the upwardlyprojecting ends of the plate 10 are in like manner secured at 14 to the inner ends of the upper horizontal portions 7 of the plate 6, forming a rigid truss construction. The ends 12 of the plate 10 form the inner jaws or mem bers of the housingsor slideways for the respective axle-boxes 15, which contain the bearings for the axles 16, upon which are fixed the wheels 17in the usual manner. jaw of each housing is formed by a plate 18, pivoted at its upper end at23 upon the upper horizontal portion 7 of the plate 6 and having its lower end detachably connected, as by a bolt, at 19 with the jaw-bit member 20. This the plate 6, r

The outer 5 be seen from an inspection of Fig. 2 that the jaw-bit member is bifurcated at its inner end, the ends of its bifurcate members being detachably connected with the angular end portion of the plate 10, as by bolts, at 21. The outer end of this member extends diagonallynpward and out ward, and its outer end is connected with the onterend 7 of the plate 6 by the clevis 22, forming a pivotal connection therewith. It will thus be seen that the axle-box is provided with a housing or slideway having its top and inner side formed by the bars 7 and 12 of the frame-plates, which the weight to the truck frame I provide a. pressure equalizing and distributing bar 24,

which extends transversely of the axle-box between the frame-plates and is provided on its outer end at'25 with'a supporting connection with the rigid truck-frame adjacent to the point of connection of the springs 3 therewith. A coiled spring 26 is interposed between the inner end of said bar and a rigid portion of the truck-frame, as shown in Fig. 2. Theintermediate portion of said bar bears or is fulcrumed upon the axle-box. It will upward thrust of the axle-box upon said bar will be relieved by the yielding resistance of the spring 26 and that the shock of said upward thrust of the axle-box is greatly diminished in its transmission through said bar to the rigid frame at 25. This bar acts in like manner to equalize and distribute the weight transmitted to the outer ends of the lower frame through the springs 3.

The brake mechanism of my improved truck is omitted from Fig. 1 for convenience of illustration; but a top plan View of the same is shown in Fig. 5.

The brake-shoes 30 are mounted upon the brake-beams 31, one at each end of the truck outside the wheels. The brake-beams are suspended by links 32 from the wheel-supported frame of the truck in the usual manner. Each brake-beam carries a pair of levers 33, pivoted at their outer end on said beam near its outer ends and having their inner ends pivoted together at 34. These levers 33 are connected by rods 35 each with a corresponding lever on the same side on the opposite end of the truck. The lever 36 is pivoted at one end to the middle of the brakebeam at 37 and provided at its other end with means for connecting the same with the brakeoperating shaft, as the link 38, which may connect with a chain leading to said shaft, said chain and shaft being omitted from the drawings. An intermediate portion of the lever 36 is connected by link 39 with an extension 40 of one of the levers 33.

From an inspection of Fig. 5 it will be seen that a pulling thrust exerted upon the link 33 at either end of the car will operate to produce a pull in the same direction upon the rods 35, which rodsacting as a resistance will cause the levers 33 to force the brake-beam and brake-shoestoward the wheels at that end of the truck. At the same time the pull exerted upon the rods 35 will be transmitted to the levers 33 at the other end of the car to cause the brake-beam and shoes thereat to be also drawn toward the wheels. It will be seen that the levers-are so arranged and connected that when those at one end of the truck are operated by the pull of the rods 35 the lever I 36 at such end is drawn inwardly against the brake-beam, which arrests its movement, whereupon said lever, beam, and neighboring levers 33 become practically a rigid construction.

The system of levers at one end of the truck may be omitted and the system at the other end operated by connecting the rods 35 with any stationary support to serve as a resistance.

The jaw-bit member is preferably formed with offset ends adapted to form an abutting connection with the rigid frame member 10, as shown at 41 in Fig. 4:.

I make no claim in this application to the in,,as the same forms the subject-matter of a separate application filed by me October 3, 1901, as a division of this application and given the Serial No. 77,398, entitled Brake mechanism for railway-cars.

WhatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is r l.- In a car-truck a t-russed frame member comprising a rigid plate having outer horizontal end portions, a depressed middle portion, and upwardly and outwardly inclined portions connecting said middle and ends; and a rigid plate. having a straight middle portion and upturned ends; said plates being applied one to the other and secured together at their middle portions, and at the junction of the upturned ends of one with the outer horizontal ends of the other, substantially as described.

2. In a car-truck, the combination with a rigid truck-frame having a horizontal rigid member forming the lower part thereof; of a jaw-bit having at one end an offsetting abutting connection with said rigid member, and at the other end an integral upwardly-extending diagonal brace connected at its upper end with an upper portion of the rigid frame, substantially as described.

ICO

brake mechanism shown and described here- I 3. In a car-truck, the combination with an I assess as upper and a lower truck-frame; of a pair of leaf-springs extending longitudinally thereof and secured to one of said frames intermediately of their ends; a connection between one end of each of said springs and the other frame; a leaf-spring extending transversely of said other ately of its ends thereto; and connections between the ends of said transverse spring and frame and secured intermedithe other ends of said longitudinal springs 1 respectively, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of February, 1901.

CHARLES W. POWELL.

Witnesses:

FRANK G. CURTIs, E. M. OREILL 

